It’s 8pm on a Tuesday, a school night for me, but I have about five minutes to write a post about the book my Volunteer Book Club discussed on the weekend, The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick. All but one member was able to make it, and, while not everyone loved the book, everyone seemed to enjoy it. This novel tells the story of Martha, a woman approaching middle age, who volunteers at a small public library in her small English seaside town. Martha takes on all kinds of tasks for others, never considering doing something for herself… until one day a mysterious book turns up for her at the library with a cryptic dedication. What follows is her search for the truth behind this book, uncovering shocking family secrets, making friends in the most unusual places and discovering who she really is along the way. This is not an original idea (these types of books seem to always involve a used bookstore or library!), but it was an easy read, just the kind of “feel-good” book we all needed as we come to the close of another year. It actually had the perfect ending, Christmas and a book group meeting, which was a pleasant surprise. We mostly all felt sorry for Martha, but understood how a life can slip away one day at a time until decades have passed and you look back on a life unfulfilled, particularly in a small town. We discussed Martha’s grandmother, her parents, and her relationship with her sister. We discussed the eccentric used bookstore owner Owen (they’re always eccentric!!), as well as the enigmatic Siegfried. One thing we noted was that there were almost more things to discuss that were left out of the book than things that were actually mentioned and written about. All in all, it was a great discussion, and I would recommend this for any book group looking for an uplifting, feel-good novel.
That’s all for tonight. Stay dry and keep reading!
Bye for now... Julie
No comments:
Post a Comment